In 2008, we put Carlo Scandiuzzi on the Genius short list for all the innovation and hard work he's invested in helping ACT Theater. (After starting the Central Heating Lab series there, he was hired as executive director).

At a fundraiser for the Seattle Rep last Friday, Scandiuzzi made a theatrical—though very real—gesture to help Seattle's other regional theaters. From the Business Journal:

But the highlight of the evening came during the 'Raise the Paddle' section of the live auction. The levels of giving spanned thousands of dollars to $100. When the crowd was asked who would give at the $100 level, A Contemporary Theatre (ACT) executive director Carlo Scandiuzzi, who with wife Laile had just donated $20,000, leapt to his feet to say he would not only match every $100 donation, turning it into $200 for the 'Rep,' but he would also give another $100 per raised paddle to the troubled Intiman Theatre nearby, which is in dire financial crisis. At that point, almost every paddle at the gala shot up in the air.

The Scandiuzzis were the major donors of the evening - $42,000 in all with $22,000 split between the 'Rep' and the Intiman.

People were floored by the generosity of spirit and pocket.

Well done, Carlo.